Lesson from the Seven Dwarfs

Recovering from an anxiety meltdown of financial distress yesterday after paying some bills now and looming in the near future I took prudent steps to help quash the tide of dollars gushing down the drain on bills so I secured myself a position (part-time) as a cook for a catering company here in SF.

I met the gal from the Catering Staffing firm at one of the CCA's career fair's recently and filled out the application she gave me and dropped it off today. I got there in time to fill out more paperwork and have an interview with her, which was good since she met me at CCA. I was hired on the spot. That gives me more ability to sleep tonight. Yay me.

Thursday, I'll return with my two forms of ID and must bring in my uniform since they have a job for that day and "you never know" if they will need an extra cook. Otherwise I'll be on call during the week and weekends.

Well, what with my 6 weeks of NO COOKING I finally get a chance to recall how to light a stove and heat something up.

I'll work part time and possibly weekends to pick up some "lettuce". I refer to 'it' as lettuce so as to remind myself of my initial decision that It's Not About The Money. However, reality barks at my door like two hungry, angry pit bulls freshly neutered. The bills are still there regardless of my symantics. The dogs must be fed.

Like a good owner, I am hustling my butt back to remunitive work so I can buy a couple of collars for the damn dogs. At least I don't have to walk them at night.

New Classes Today

Today we started with Business Management from 7am to 9:30, then moved on to Intro to Wines. Like slipping on a comfy pair of house slippers.

Business Mgmt reminds me of where I just came from (law office mgmt). Its easy enough since it deals with things I'm familiar with on running someone else's business using their money! My favorite setup. Oddly, the business wasn't doing well so they sold it to another firm... hummmm. Oh well, I was tiring of it after 7 years.

From 9:30 till noon we are studying the intricacies of wines, vineyards, fermenting and other mouthwatering jammy spice, blackberry, cherry and plum stuff. The Chef says when we're done we should be able to bet anyone at a party what the wine is, the year - give or take a year - and whether or not it was barreled or bottled. Pretty interesting. We learned a lot about grapes today and the ones that we don't use are the ones you get in the store. Those are eating grapes or the grapes of wrath from the sun, african pigmy shrunken head stuff. Raisins. No No. No wine there.

Chef says by Wednesday we should begin tasting. Just think, how awful is it that for school I have to drink wines every morning for 2.5 weeks. I mean, I have to pass this class don't I? Oh, and the Chef also said we will be making our Own Wine in class! Cool. Who knew. My attendance record just zoomed up some more notches.

I seriously doubt that I will be making anything close to the bottle of Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape that Shannon and Lisa sent me when they went wine tasting down in LA but I'll try ladies, I'll try. (thank you again!) I'm saving that stuff for something real special. Like when I rondevous with them again for a good card game.

Well, I guess I'll go for the night. Gotta get up early and pay attention! La la la, la tee da... Yippee.

Let Them Eat Cake!!

I like this RICE pudding. I don't believe there is a shortage of RICE! I think its just China getting back at the US and the World for the hubbub over the Olympics. Just like the contrived Gas Shortage. Give me a break. The powers in governments (global) are looking to fill their pockets and try to find ways to panic the people by "inventing" these absurd 'shortages'.

So, with all that in mind, here's a delicious and nutritious dessert thats easy to make. I made it during my Contemporary Foods class.

Lemon Rice (that new dirty four letter word) Pudding with Apples and Cinnamon.

1/2 cup short grain rice
5 cups milk

4 Tbsp sugar
zest of 2 lemons finely grated
2 Tbsp butter

Roma apples work here or anyone you prefer. I used 2 for 4 portions. In an oven proof saute pan, cook the thinly sliced cored and peeled apples in butter with sugar and cinnamon. Mix with rice and milk and place in oven at 350 for half hour (depends on your stove or altitude) Check before the 30 minutes are up to give you an idea of how much longer you need. All liquid should be absorbed but bottom shouldn't be burned. When its done you can put it into a mold or rounded bowl and press down. Let cool a bit while you take some plain yogurt and honey and the zest of the lemon and mix for the topping on the pudding. Invert the mold or bowl and top with yogurt dressing, serve. Very healthy. I don't add the amount of yogurt or honey since that is a decision you make according to your tastes.

For those of you annoyed that I don't give exact measurements its because this is how you should "eyeball" stuff and taste, taste, taste as you go along to learn exactly how you want something to taste rather than 'trust' some recipe blindly. I'm sure we have all, at one time or another, followed a recipe to the letter only to be sorely disappointed at the result. You should also figure out how much of something will suit your needs. Like above, for 4 persons I may choose to use 2 cups of yogurt or 4 ounces per topping of pudding each. The honey (or brown sugar or regular sugar or sweetner) is just till I get the taste I'm looking for as a topping. If there is more pudding left after all the servings have been dished up then save it. You can always refridgerate and make fresh topping or use some favorite jam heated in a small saucepan for a topping. Its totally up to you.

I just wanted to give you a healthier alternative. Enjoy.

Math Final Friday!!

I'm toooo excited because I PASSED my final exam in Purchasing Math with an 80%. You may say, Oh Deb, how you've let go of your High Standards! I'll say a resounding No because I am notoriously NO GOOD at math. I know it. But I studied real hard. I have band-aids surrounding my head like a crown of thorns. Yes, my head hurts but I passed. I do believe this sets me up for an "A" in Kitchen Math since we had a lot of other daily quizs, a recipe project and more. I did good.

I quit drinking for 2 weeks so I could concentrate during these last two weeks and today I celebrated with 2 beers with my lunch and then had to take a 2 hour nap! I'm out of the drinking game. I'd rather be in the Ace-ing game anyway.

Yeah Me!! I'm happy.

15 Minutes and Still Nothing to Say

I've been sitting in front of my computer for 15 minutes waiting for something clever, witty, original, plagiarized, anything to put down on my blog and nothing comes up. I know I haven't written for 3 days or thereabout but I'm an empty slate.

I think the math stuff is wiping my brain clean of all right brained activity. Either that or I'm so left brain heavy that the right brain went on "tilt" and the doors locked. As usual, I can't find anything in my beensy little cubby hole room let alone the vast untouched spaces in my brain where I could hide a single key.

Every Day. I kid not. I "lose" something. I'm in constant amazement that this is even possible. My room is way too small for such unacceptable behavior. Yet, I'm always on the hunt. For instance, yesterday I had to make copies of some very important documents to mail. I went to the copy shop, made my copies, stole 3 extra paper clips - they were in a hugh container by the copy machines, so naturally they meant for me to have some - and brought them home, I needed them. I put the documents/paperclips on my bed and then got busy collating and examining all items for proper signatures etc. When I went to get the paper clips to mail them - they were gone. I was sure I had them on the bed but made a diligent effort to scour the entire room for them. Long (trite) story short, they fell off the bed on the carpet. I didn't think to look there since I placed them in the middle of the bed.

Then, a few days before that, I needed my own personal bath towel that I have in the room in case housekeeping forgets about me (which is often enough that I have my own personal bath towel). I know I have it. I look and look and never find it. Then the next day as I'm leaving my room I do a once over in case I've forgotten something and - Yes, there is the bath towel resting over the back of a chair. Who knew. I thought by leaving it out in the open I wouldn't lose it. Ha! Not so.

Its terribly irritating when you constantly have to waste valuable time looking for something. I'm getting to be very annoyed with myself. Maybe that's why the voices in my head are quiet. Hopefully, they'll get over this and come back out (or in really) to play and talk to me. The voices are the only ones I really ever talk to anyway, except maybe Glo in Flo. Hi Glo.

Well, now all I can say is that I spent 1/2 hour saying basically nothing at all on this blog. Maybe its nap time and I just forgot about it. Gotta go have a close look at my pillow. My brain is bruised from all the Purchase Math we did today in class. We took a 4 person recipe and blew it up to 150 people menu. That meant taking the 6 ounce slice of meat and multiplying it up so I know how much Mad Cow I have to buy to get rid of all these people. Piece O' Cake you say? Well then why don't you take the few sprigs of thyme I need in the wine reduction sauce bouquet and tell me how many bunches of thyme I need for all these idiots!! These People are getting on My Last Nerve!!!! (exclamation marks are free on Tuesdays)

Definitely nap time with a nice little blue pill for my rattled nerves. After all, I only have one bathroom for 150 people. Chef didn't think of that, did he?!

Days like this I wish the world was flat. I'd take a long walk right now... (just get me out of Math)

Kitchen Math is a Bad Dish!

Having loads of cheap fun in computer class these days. We started doing Kitchen Math. WTF, you say is that? Well, we try to do metric conversions from US standards. Why? As if I knew. I don't plan on moving to the EU anytime soon.

Actually, its so we can price out the value of items comparatively. (I'm beginning to sound like my Chef Instructor) Meaning, if Vendor A was selling a 12 fluid ounce bottle of pork butt juice for $9 and Vendor B was selling a 500 ml bottle for $12.75, and then that idiot from the uptown shop - Vendor C was selling quarts of this crap for $26 (like I'd ever buy pork butt juice in a Quart size. What an idiot!) Anyway, (gawd I hate vendor C) I'd like to stay in business buying my favorite hi-volume product so who should I buy from that will save me money?

No one will tell me how to convert 1 bunch of cilantro from US to Metric. Iceholes all of them!

The other fun thing is figuring out how much carrots cost me to buy by the weight oz, the lb., a cup (diced) and a Quart (same dice), when I buy the 25 lb bag of carrots for $14.95 a pound. Its a laugh a minute in this class. I told the chef that after 3 hours of this torture my head hurt like a serious hangover. I go in feeling fine and come out feeling like I was the only one in a hammer fight without the hammer.

I might start drinking coffee again. This class is like a giant valium. I hate math. I had to cheat on my final in High School and I still got a D. Well there you have it. I just dished up a secret from my past for dessert. How much did that cost me?!

Happy Tax Day. NOT!

Its April 15th whether you like it or not. For some reason, being unemployed for 10 months last year I STILL have to pay taxes! I just don't get the reasoning behind Govn't "benefits". The photo Explains everything about where my "refund" is going.

Martini time. Must rush off.....

New Neighbor Highlights

[this post may disturb senstitive stomaches] it did mine momentarialy (read, for about 10 minutes)

Since I have no COOKING news, I do however have a new set of neighbors as of today. Earlier this evening as I was finishing up my culinary resume I heard this oldster yabbering about not being able to open the door to the room next door with his plastic key card. I felt compelled to help, opened my door and showed him how to use it. He thanked me and he and his antique buddy entered room 207 (next to room 206 which is mine.)

As you may recall in previous emails, I occasionally mention the antics and bothersomeness of my temporary (but miserable) "neighbors".

I could only guess what my little buddies next door were here for. My thoughts followed this line of thinking: a) A funeral b) A class reunion of 8 remaining members or c) An organ donor party.

Neighbor 'A' was the key challenged fellow and neighbor 'B' is the dottering dear I'm worried about. Minimally worried I should add.

Not long after occupying their "suite" (after all, I have the exact layout, therefore it must be a sweet at the Oasis Inn) I was BLOWN away by the noise next door. As I have said previously, these walls are made from spit and toilet paper. There is NO insulation whatsoever. What can only be described as a serious health issue demanding immediate review by the Board of Health, was that I heard neighbor B (yeah, I could make distin-stink-tion from the sound of their voices) literally blow his entire intestinal flora at one moment in time. I'm calling this a medical case of Hat Raising Flatulence! The sound reverbrated throughout the building I'm sure as my room was clearly twanging from the explosion.

I think it did toss him off the throne. He started coughing up a lung immediately afterward. I started, as frantic as I possibly could, to light matches on my side of the wall. I did not want a scratch and sniff episode. I indeed think his continued tuberculotic coughing and eventual hurling was just a symptom of the initial balast broach.

It was astonishing. If not for its initial shocking value, I would not have considered blogging this unfortunate incident except for the previous mentioned fact that there is nothing culinary to blog about.

I think I can almost hear you also privately wishing my cooking classes were occupying my time again. Not so. I have 5 more weeks of paying attention to whom they allow in Room 207. Until cooking resumes, I give you farewell. I'm just a tool of my circumstances at this point.

Think good thoughts for me....and read the next 5 weeks of blogging with a tsp of sugar (or salt)

The Non-Cooking Class

Right now we are in a 1 1/2 week Software Applications class, aka computer class. For me it's pretty basic knowledge that Chefs will need to know when they have their own restaurants. It is hard to sit for 5 hours at the computer doing things I used to do years ago.

Most of us who are computer oriented are having trouble staying awake. I read the news, check emails. Our next class after this is Kitchen Math, something like that. Great.

No cooking. No cool photos of our foods, kitchens, trays of fruit or cheese. No Free Food. Nothing.

Gawd this is horrible. However, on the bright side, I may loose more weight since I don't really eat anything worthwhile until noon or 1pm. There's gotta be a bright side!

Computer Class Prez Bush Style

Well, well. I'm learning basics of computers for 5 hours. I learned how to change margins, do bold, italic and underlined type, change the fonts, ad nauseum. Opps, did I do spell check yet?!

What the heck am I doing on a blog? Oh well, they didn't plan for me too be that 'advanced'.

(yep, Prez Bush knows and he don't care. Just fill in the blanks anyway)

Gotta do this for 1 and 1/2 weeks. At least I don't have to struggle to avoid washing dishes. Which, by the way, also means that there will be NO COOKING during that time.

I want my money back now! For someone who LIVES to cook this is the equivilent to putting John the Baptist on some isolated island away from his flock to feed them words of wisdom (basically leaving them still hungry). I feel ya J. I know the pain.... Oh Lordy, do I. You just don't know if they're eating right.

We don't get to eat, we don't cook, we don't even get to wash a dish.

Ah hell. Life's over for a week and a half.

Spring Break Comes, then Goes...

I'm finding myself at the end of my Spring Break.

Time flies way too fast. The planet must be spinning faster than usual. WTF! Six months are gone?! It'll be no time before I'm a full fledged Cordon Bleu Chef. I am amazed. I'm not happy that the next 5-6 weeks I will NOT be cooking. I'll be in a computer class and then Intro to Wines. (that's an easy A)

I spent the week cooking at Mum's and Papa John's home. I was in a real flurry to make everthing I could and had been thinking of cooking. One afternoon I traveled to the Restaurant Supply place to buy the things I needed, like a portable propane burner and wok, some catering platters for a cheese and a fruit display for my upcoming debut catering my cousin Guy's art gallery's Art Walk for the second Saturday's of every month from April through September. I may get some work from that hopefully. I'm excited.

I made a couple of soups to warm the cold nights and I made a tomato meat sauce over polenta slices like a lasagne. It was my first time making polenta and it turned out, well, perfect.

I had a day at the Stonestown Mall, think Williams and Sonoma. I get a discount there anyway b/c of my affiliation with the Culinary School. [danger!]

I at least spent one whole day JELLING. Just playing on the computer, reading cooking books and magazines, and sitting in the sun outside in the yard reading my novel. One whole day relaxing. Ahhhh. Felt good. I still mentally reside on that lounge chair in the sun.

Last night, my cousin Guy and I tried a new Italian restaurant close to home that I found on the internet Citysearch. com site. I love that site. Whatever city you are in you can find things to do, places to eat, etc on Citysearch.com.

The restaurant was really quaint. The whole place was a mural of the Italian countryside. Campy but sweet. It wasn't very busy so our service was good, but the real show was the food. OMG! The Carpacio was the best I've had and made my cousin a believer that raw beef can be made lovely and delicious. He ordered the Calamari Steak breaded and topped with tomato coulis and capers with a dash of lemon juice. I ordered the Rack of Lamb with a wine reduction sauce. Really yummy. Our dishes were served with creamy polenta, a side of pasta which was very good, and fresh cooked veggies. Perfectly cooked to crunchy, not overcooked. What a treat!!

Then I came back to reality. I'm half-way through my schooling. Only 6 months away.

I am SHOCK (thnx Papa John)! It also means that I will no longer be living at the ever so lovely Oasis Hotel. Where the heck will I go then?! The frets and worries of the six month fever.

Isn't life just one heck of a fun roller coaster? Maybe this is the real life of a personal/private Chef. I'm adaptable. I'm sure all will work out well. Its just so tense if I really think about it. My IRA is translating into _I_t's _R_unning _A_way..... just don't know if it will last.

Eh! Fugettaboudit!! Doan Stress.

Food for Thought

Older Age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be.

Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body: the crepey neck, the wrinkly eyes, and the sagging (ever stretching )butt. And often I am a bit sad by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my adventurous life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating a cookie, or for not making my bed (although I always do!), or for buying silly things, that I have no idea where they are today, but I had to have. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy if I want, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 70 & 80s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over my too large body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set . They, too, will get older.

I know I am sometimes forgetful (just ask my daughter). But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when you lose a beloved pet? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being older. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it) Live Large, Laugh Often.

Contemporary Cooking Class is Over

Darn. I really got into the daily buffet. Now I'll have to bring food in or buy it. I love free healthy foods. I ate some really good stuff over the past 3 weeks. So much so that I believe I will change my eating habits. I have already. Grains are really filling and with all the nutrition from all the vegetables, soups, and fruits I find that I'm not so hungry later.

Today was my Final presentation of my macrobiotic diet menu. I had to develop a menu that stayed within guidelines of 1200 calories (all 4 dishes combined) and 1000 mg of sodium, and then limited fats, cholesterol, proteins etc. I did it and it was really good.

For the starter I made Miso Soup with snow peas, shitake mushrooms, scallions and sweet corn from the cob instead of tofu.

Then I prepared a Fish in a 5 spice rub topped with chopped tomato, onion, garlic, diced jalapeno and caper topping on a bed of fresh Heirloom tomatoes. Very tasty!

Next was a Roasted Poblano Chile stuffed with spanish rice and sweet corn topped with Monterey Jack cheese and baked in the oven then served on top of a Creamy Lemon Sauce made from raw cashews (soaked overnight in water), a couple tsp of Miso and 1/2 cup of lemon juice. I added two packets of Stevia all natural sweetener and it was perfect.

Dessert was a Rice Pudding with fresh pears in lemon juice baked with nutmeg and cinnamon. It was very nice.

I added my special touch of a couple of Baby Eggplant Penguins. The eyes are Black Beluga Lentil. I loved them! So cute.

Now I have a WHOLE week off for Spring Break. I'm so ready for that. I get to sleep in for 9 whole days. Heaven.

Apply Defibulator, STAT!!!

Do You Know Where You're Children Are? This is where mine was on Easter Sunday. OMG!

This is what happened to me when I found out!!! This stunt cost me a ton in AGE LINES!! A Dios Mio....

More Farmer's Market Pictures

I'm a bit challenged in trying to add more than one picture to my posts. Everyone else makes it look super easy but I don't have that button on my laptop. I bought the handicapped version I guess.

Anyvay, (like my new accent?) Here are dem photos.

Wednesday = Farmer's Market

I love Wednesday. I get to roam around all the fresh flowers, foods, and fish and take in the sunshine, blue skies and the beautiful City Hall building in the background.

I do my Hunt and Gather, Touch and Smell, and wish I had more than a little single electric burner at my place to cook with.

Today I bought Baby Bok Choy, tangerines, Asian Pears, a cucumber and some bright red radishes and green onions.

The weather was perfect for an afternoon stroll. I'm even getting adjusted to the kooks in the Tenderloin District on my way home. There are more and more vendors as spring brings all the fresh grown goodies up for grabs. My Contemporary Foods class is having a good effect on my eating preferences now. I am eating way less meats and much more veggies and grains.

We ate some more good stuff in class today like cauliflower and minestrone soups, a chicken dish with red and yellow bell peppers, orzo pasta with kale, spicy tomato salsa and avocado with crisp corn tortilla's, boiled tempeh with green onions in vegetable stock with some soy sauce, fresh assorted cookies, a really delicious healthy pizza simply made with tomato sauce, cheese and an herbed dough crust, some chicken kabobs, and deep fried veggies in a batter served with a yummy spicy ponzu like sauce.

There were other things but I forgot. So much food. We all cook together, eat together and discuss the shortcomings of a certain classmate who gets on ALL our nerves! She's not a regular with our class but someone who has to make up this class b/c she probably failed it last time. She can't help but get on your nerves in a very special way, real quick. Most of us are just trying to avoid her in case we lose it and do that silly high school thing and deck her.

She keeps that "badatuide" up, she may be the next item on our buffet. Watch your back girlfriend! The injuns are getting restless.

IRISH I was out having fun.....

Happy St. Paddies, to the Laddies and Lassies

Hope you're all having (some) fun

Here I sit on my big faddie assie

Just wishin y'all a ton (of fun)

If that ain't enough, to keep you enchanted

Then goodnight and I'll have another ... I'm SO done with Irish Limericks! Whatever.

All You Can Eat!

I so love this class! (Contemporary Cuisine) since every day is ended with a huge buffet of all the foods we all made. Salads, soups, main dishes, grains, beans, and even desserts. We never leave THIS class hungry!

I have really changed my mind regarding grains and legumes. I'll be incorporating more of them into my diet now. They are really good and lots of ways to cook them to a tasty flavor.

We even made whole wheat doughnuts that, believe it or not, were GOOD. We dipped them in maple syrup for the glaze.

My favorite beverage's are my own creation of fresh blackberries, orange juice and black tea served as an Iced Tea. Really refreshing. Then there's Phil's Barley Lemon Water. I can't believe how much I liked that one. Both are perfect for summer.

Contemporary Foods Daily Buffet

I am so loving Contemporary Foods. Every day we all work in groups on recipes, cook and present to Chef, then we have to explain our recipe for the others and what we made. After all that, then we get to eat buffet style every day! YUMMY!!

I couldn't begin to remember all the good stuff I've eaten but one of my very favorites so far is the Red Lentil and Apricot Soup!! To. Die. For. So delicious. I'm too tired to do the recipe now but I can do it at another time.

Tomorrow I have to cook Vegan Recipes. I'm making Indonesian Tempeh Pancakes with an orange glaze. Eh. I may try to do something else too. Like brown rice with sweet corn. Just cuz it sounds nice. I'm not really too warm to vegan.

But I AM eating way better than in Baking and Pastry!

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, its off to work we go...

This was no Disney Fantasy, this was hard reality. I volunteered to help prep a dinner at the Italian Atheletic Club in North Beach this past Thursday. I need to start volunteering for things like this to build my resume throughout this next year.

You can see from Lil' Miss Happy Face that the whole experience was nothing but fun. We prepped, served, waited and cleaned up for a 320 person dinner. We started at 12:45 pm and ended at 10:15pm. I had risen that morning at 5:15am to head to class. By the time I was home, showered and in bed it was 11:30pm and I had to rise again at 5:15 to head to my last class of Baking and Pastry to take my finals.

I'm slightly recovered today. My feet don't hurt quite so much now (they only bark when I walk) and my arms and legs have feeling again.

What the %$*! was I thinking you may ask. Well, I thought it was going to be a short gig of 5-6 hours and that we'd do no serving or cleanup. Turns out that didn't happen and no one knew it until we got there. Like they say "Poo Happens" (I have a problem saying Shit online). So, we just end up grinning and bearing it.

I have learned one thing from this event. Never volunteer for a job the night before your Final. Lesson Learned.

Oddly enough, I had explicitly asked the "Chef" before volunteering whether we'd have to serve or clean-up and he said No. The Club is handling that. So that's why I volunteered. Eh, who knew?!

If I was one of the 7 dwarves, just call me Grumpy!

Rounding Out My Last Week

I'm soooo glad to be leaving Baking and Pasty this Friday. I have gained 5 extra (possibly more) pounds since starting it 2.5 weeks ago. This is depressing.

Yesterday I started my morning plating my Ice Cream, which by definition, means that I have to do a lot of tasting before and after. I have to make sure it's good enough then the Chef makes you taste along with him while he explains stuff. I put my Ice Cream in a martini glass (I'd rather had that instead!) and drizzled chocolate in a swirl along the inside of it. I also made designs with raspberry and strawberry coulis (a liquid of the fruit) on the Ice Cream. Then I topped it with a hardened chocolate curly-cue thingy I made the day before.

I do feel that it presented well and tasted good (real good). I got all my points. I just don't like the idea of eating Ice Cream and chocolate at 8am! I couldn't just toss the nice pretty thing in the compost garbage, and it wasn't looking like I'd be eating anything else for breakfast so I did the only thing I could.

I just can't seem to eat right at school. How ironic is that?! I have no time for breakfast so I eat a banana (I don't like bananas but they "carry well") on the way to the shuttle. I also carry a Box O' Raisins and a bag of almonds with me as "just in case" emergency food. If I'm lucky I have time to grab some tea before class begins, otherwise I'm stuck with water. We HAVE to eat whatever we are working on for flavor, taste, seasonings, etc. It doesn't sound like a lot of food but somehow, its 5 extra pounds of it.

Maybe its the sugar. I NEVER eat things with lots of sugar. I hardly ever eat ice cream, cut out cookies, no more doughnuts, or even chocolate. So in Baking and Pastry its tons of the demon sugar, mounds of chocolate, ice cream and now this week - Breads! This is my real weakness!!

I made a Kalamata Olive, rosemary flavored olive oil Foccacia bread, and another Foccacia with a garlic, red pepper flake olive oil blend and sprinkled lightly with sea salt. OMG! When that puppy comes out of the oven I'm ALL over it. It WAS GOOD. Yet I know it has tons of olive oil. I made it. I know that! But I still ate a nice size square of it.

I'm just going to have to lay on the other side of the bed at night to even out the mattress. Hopefully I won't roll into the hole from my fat ass on the left side. Blow up a balloon, put a photo of my face on it and run. I may just burst!

Photo from Bent Objects.com (a great site)

San Fran Crab Festival!

It was a beautiful day, lots of people eating crab dishes made by several upscale restaurants and hotels, music, sunshine and CRAB. I loved it. I volunteered and was assigned to assist Scala'a Bistro. We made a chiffonade romaine with frisee salad topped with a champagne vinegarette and topped with a couple blood oranges on one side and cara cara oranges on the opposite side of the salad. Then we added a healthy portion of fresh dungeness crab and drizzled a sorrel aioli sauce on the top! We were the first booth that was OUT of our dish before the others, so I got to mingle, eat other foods and listen to great music by a Band called Diegos Umbrella. (they have a My Space account at that name). They were a mix of Brasil, Gypsy and Polka! It was fun.

I added a photo that the pastry chef made from bread signifiying the Crab. I took one home I thought they were so clever and artistic. I also got a "free lunch" card from the Sous Chef that enables me and a friend to dine for free at the restaurant. Its a great place. http://www.scalasbistro.com/

I'm going to have to remember to take my "real" camera since I'm not able to make my cell phone pictures bigger! Darn it!

My first Volunteer outing as a Chef in Training! Yea Me!!

Happy Leap Day!

Once every four years we have this special day. In its honor (or not) I plated my chocolate mousse that I made the day before so it was good and frozen, where we want it before we plate and serve.

I used fruit coulis (raspberry), melted chocolate and vanilla cream to decorate the plate all fancy like. Then we swirl the stuff around to make pretty designs with a big toothpick. I put my "ball" of mousse, which was chocolate covered, on a caramel cracker that I made. It comes out really thin and crispy like. I molded it over a tea cup so I could have a handle when it was cooled. I inverted it and placed the mousse on top and on top of the mousse I put a little dough cooked filligree design in the mousse then presented it to the Chef for grading.

I forgot totally about taking a photo until it was done grading. Meaning: we take a bite each to see how well the mousse turned out. I got all my points for plating, taste, design and creativity. I thought it looked pretty awesome too.

Tomorrow I have volunteered to assist at the San Francisco 6th Annual Crab Festival. I will be helping in Union Square at "Scala's Bistro's" booth. They won last years festival! I'm excited. Plus, I get to graze from all the booth's. Whoo-hooo! I LOVE crab.

Next Thursday I volunteered to assist in North Beach at the Italian Atheletes Club for a dinner serving 200. Sounds interesting plus I like all things Italian! (including the Food)

Monday we have to prep and plate our individual Ice Creams. I made a vanilla/mint with toasted almonds and white chocolate chips. I hope it all turns out good. I didn't taste it today since I didn't have time. I'll try to remember to photo the plate first!

Have a great weekend!

Happy My Birthday!!

Not really but this is the FIRST cake I've made in my Intro to Baking and Pastry class! I can't imagine what I will be able to make in ADVANCED Baking and Pastry.

This cake started off being the embarrassment of my life when I first began. It had a pink frosting made with cherry extract but then I added ground chocolate cookie wafers and it looked like I rolled it in DIRT. I was so upset I considered heading to Whole Foods to see if they would give me a frosted pink cake so I could do a switcheroo with my pink cowpie sitting in the kitchen walkin refrig. Seriously! Damn cake looked like I should have vacuumed it!

Someone asked what I was going to put on my cake as decoration and I told them a hammer.

Everyone else's cakes were looking outrageously amazing. I wanted to drizzle chocolate on top of my that said This Cake Sucks.

Today even both of our B&P chefs had no clue on how to make it better looking except to scrap off the dirt and make more buttercream frosting. In other words: Start over. At least I could cover up the top without having to scrape that off as well.

Long story short, after all was done, I actually made a good looking cake. It was made with two fillings. One a lemon curd added to the butter cream and the other with cherry extract. I "painted" the inside layers with a Creme de Cassis simple sugar bath to soak in before frosting. The final frosting was plain white buttercream. I put chocolate flakes on the sides and added brandied cherries on top with a center of yellow and purple edible pansies.

It was a painful start but a glorious finish. It tasted really good and for those who know me I never eat cakes. Even any of my wedding cakes! Not a bite. But THIS one was really flavorful.

Yea Me!

Bad Day, Bad Mood, Isolate Me

I weighed myself today, paid my bills today and realized my financial status then weighed myself again. Best Advice: Don't. Come. Near. Me. I'm still in Baking and Pastry Class. This is a problem. I'm not happy. Blew up my scale today. Wish I had another to blow up.

In one way (weigh) I still love my schooling.

Still, best to stay just an arms length away.